INVENTOR ROBERT M MAesHALL Q'ATTORNEY United States Patent US. CI. 53-29 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus having conveyors for moving individual units of product and mechanism for unfolding cards having an overfolded portion and for moving an unfolded card below each unit of product.

This invention relates to a system for transferring a card having a tab or flap, in such manner that material may be deposited onto the card after the tab has been opened.

The system of the invention is especially useful in the packaging of groups of shingled bacon slices for example. The system, in particular, includes a pair of feed rolls into the pinch point of which the leading edge of a card can be fed, mechanism for unfolding the tab with respect to the card, a first endless conveyor including one of said feed rolls, and a second endless conveyor operable to deposit a group of bacon slices onto the card on the first conveyor.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of a system in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the system shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of a card with a tab which is used in the system shown in FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of ,the card shown in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a vertically sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the system shown in FIGURES l and 2, with a guide being shown in its lower position;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view,similar to FIGURE 5, but showing the guide in its upper position;

FIGURE 7 is a circuit diagram for the embodiment of the system shown in FIGURES 5 and 6;

FIGURE 8 is a vertical sectional view of another alternative embodiment of the system of the invention showing the tab in the unfolded position; and

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to FIGURE 8, but showing the tab partially unfolded.

Referring more particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a transferring system embodiment generally indicated at 10. A card 11 having a tab or flap 12 is positioned on a support 13 by suitable means as disclosed for example in United States patent application Ser. No. 499,966, now Patent No. 3,405,504, filed concurrently herewith entitled Transferring System on an invention of Robert H. Marshall and Bernard T. Hensgen. Reference may be had to said application for details of construction, timing and general operation which have been omitted in the presentapplication for brevity and clarity. The tab 12 is shown to terminate short of opposed marginal sides 15 and 16 of the card 11.

An endless conveyor 17 is the form. of side-by-side spaced apart chains 17 passing over rollers 18, 19 and 20 conveys groups of shingled bacon slices 31 onto the card 11 on the endless conveyor 22 formed by spaced apart chains 22. The chains 22' are trained over sprockets 23 which are disposed between rollers 24 composed of' rubber or other resilient material. The rollers 24 cooperate with an elongated roller 25 to provide feeding generally indicated at 26 by which the card 11 can be fed onto the conveyor 22. The end of the support 13 adjacent the feed means 26 has an upwardly and outwardly extending guide 27. Disposed above the guide 27 is a guide generally indicated at 28 having a pair of side guides or fingers 29 and 30 which engage the marginal sides 15 and 16 respectively of the card 11, to cause the card 11 to bend so that the tab 12 makes an angle with respect to the card 11 such that the .tab 12 is partially unfolded with respect to the card 11. It is seen in FIGURE 1 that the card 11 is partially flexed and that the fingers 29 and 30 serve to increase the fiexure of the card 11. The fingers 29 and 30 are disposed outwardly of the tab 12 so that the tab 12 is free to make an angle with respect to the card 11. When the underside of the tab 12 comes into engagement with the roller 25, the tab 12 is further unfolded, and in fact the tab 12 is completely unfolded with respect to the card 11 when the tab has passed between the rolls 24 and 25. The material in the form of a group of shingled bacon slices is deposited onto the card 11 and thereafter tab 12 is folded into overlying relationship onto the bacon slices 31, after which the packaging of the bacon slices can be completed.

The card 11 is positioned on the support 13 as indicated in FIGURE 2 until such time as the card 11 is to be fed onto the conveyor 22; at this time the pusher generally indicated at 32 engages the trailing end of the card and pushes it a short distance until the card 11 is in the pinch point of the rolls 24 and 25.

Referring now to the embodiment of FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 of the drawings, like reference characters are used as in the embodiment in FIGURES 1 and 2 to designate like components, with the addition of letter a. In the embodiment of FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 the card 11a can have a tab 12a which is the same width as the card 11a. When the card 11a is fed into the pinch point of the feed rolls 24a and 25a, a baflle 35 which is inclined generally toward the pinch point of the rolls 24a and 25a facilitates the feed of the card 11. The lead-edge of the card 11a actuates a switch arm 36 of the switch 37 to energize solenoid 38 to move the guide 35 from the position shown in FIGURE 5 to the position shown in FIGURE 6-. As the tab 12a approaches the roll 25a it has already opened up slightly due to the flexure of the card 11a. The guide 35 is now incapable of guiding the tab 12a into the pinch point of rolls 24a and 25a. The tab 12a is thus completely unfolded as it passes between rolls 24a and 25a. When the tab 12a has cleared the switch arm 36, the switch 37 is again opened to deenergize the solenoid 38 to return the guide 35 to its lower position, shown in FIGURE 5.

In the embodiment of FIGURES 8 and 9, like reference characters to those used as in the embodiment of FIGURES l and 2 are used to designate like components, with the addition of letter b; In the embodiment of FIGURES 8 and 9 the card 11b can have a tab 12b which is like the tabs 12, 12a or which is coextensive with the card 11b. As the card 11b is fed between the pinch point of rolls 24b and 25b, a vacuum roll 40 causes the tab 12b to unfold partially. The vacuum roll 40 is preferably driven in the same direction as the roll 25b. The force exerted by the rolls 24b and 25b is sufiicient to overcome the vacuum or suction force of the roll 40 on the tab 12b of the card 11b so that the tab 12b is stripped off the roll 40b and fed by the rollers 24b and 25b onto the conveyor 22b.

Other embodiments and modifications of this invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and all such of these as come within the spirit of this invention are included Within its scope as best defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Transferring apparatus, comprising: an endless conveyor having a feed roll, means for feeding a card having a folded tab secured at the trailing edge of the card into position to be fed by said feed roll, means operative while said feed roll is feeding the card for at least partially unfolding the tab with respect to the card, and another endless conveyor for depositing a group of bacon slices onto the card in said second conveyor.

2. Transferring apparatus, comprising: endless conveying means including a feed roll, means for feeding a card having a folded tab. at the trailing edge of the card into position to be fed by said feed roll, means operative while said feed roll is feeding the card for unfolding the tab with respect to the card means for depositing a separate unit of a material on the card being moved by said conveying means.

3. Transferring apparatus, comprising: a pair of cooperating feed rolls, means for driving one of said rolls, means engageable with side margins of a card on each side of its tab when the card is being fed by said feed rolls for bending the card to make the tab extend at an angle with respect to the card, so that the feed rolls can unfold the tab with respect to the card.

4. Transferring apparatus, comprising: a pair of cooperating feed rolls, means for feeding a card having a folded tab secured at its trailing edge into the pinch point of said feed rolls, the tab terminating short of each side of the card, a finger engaga-ble with each side of the card for bending the card but not the tab as the card is being fed by said feed rolls to partially unfold the tab,

said tab being substantially completely unfolded with respect to the card when it has passed between said feed rolls.

5. Transferring apparatus, comprising: a pair of cooperating feed rolls, means for feeding a card having a folded tab secured at the trailing edge of the card, a deflector movable between a first position in which the card is deflected into the pinch point of said feed rolls and a second position in which the tab cannot be deflected by said deflector, a solenoid for actuating said deflector between said first and second positions, a switch actuatable by the card when it has passed into the pinch point of said feed rolls for energizing said solenoid to actuate said deflector from said first to said second position and to deenergize said solenoid to return said deflector to said first position when the tab has cleared the feed rolls.

6. Transferring apparatus, comprising: continuously driven, endless conveying means including at least one feed roll, an elongate roller positioned adjacent the feed roll, said roller and roll being adapted to feed a card onto the conveying means, said card having a body section and a folded tab at the trailing edge of the body section, means for feeding the card into feeding position of said roller and feed roll, a deflector effective only when said feed roll is feeding the body section of the card for deflecting the tab into unfolded relation with respect to the card to enable the feed roll to complete the unfolding of the card and means for depositing a separate unit of a material on the body section as the unfolded card is being moved by the conveying means.

7. Transferring apparatus, comprising: a, pair of cooperating feed rolls, means for feeding a card having a body section and a folded tab at the trailing edge of the body section of the card into position to be fed by said feed rolls, a rotatable vacuum roll driven in the same direction as the feed rolls, said vacuum roll being positioned to exert vacuum on the tab as the body section and folded tab are moved by the feed rolls and .to rotate the tab in a direction away from the feed roll as the body continues through the rolls and before the tab enters the pinch point of said feed rolls to at least partially unfold the tab so that said feed rolls can complete the unfolding of the tab with respect to the card.

8. Transferring method, comprising the steps of: feeding a card having a body section and an inversely folded tab between feed rolls, transversely deflecting the body of the card across a bottom one of the feed rolls as the card is being fed through the rolls to partially unfold the tab from the body of the card; passing the body of the card and its partially unfolded tab between feed rolls to complete the unfolding of the tab, depositing material onto the body of the card, and refolding the tab to overlying position with respect to at least a portion of the material deposited.